Celtics at Rockets 12/27/18 - NBA Picks & Predictions

In the first game of a Thursday night NBA on TNT doubleheader, the Boston Celtics will travel to the Toyota Center to face the Houston Rockets.

The Celtics have won consecutive games and are seven games above .500 overall. On Christmas Day, Boston made the plays down the stretch of regulation and overtime to earn a 121-114 home victory versus Philadelphia. The Celtics forced 19 turnovers and limited the 76ers to just 41 percent shooting.

Boston G Kyrie Irving poured in a game high 40 points on 17-for-33 shooting and grabbed ten rebounds. Jayson Tatum contributed 23 points and ten rebounds for the Celtics. The Houston Rockets have won two straight contests and are looking to improve on their seventh place standing in the Western Conference. On Christmas Day, Houston rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to score a 113-109 home victory against Oklahoma City. The Rockets knocked down 14-for-44 from long distance and shot 45 percent overall.

Reigning MVP James Harden led all scorers with 41 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds. Clint Capela added 16 points and 23 rebounds for the Rockets.